Time sensitive wheel question

Go-Bucky · June 12, 2015

Hey all, I'm a long time reader, first time post-er. I realize that there are threads on this topic from the past, and I'll be scouring them while I wait for replies, but I need to make a decision extremely soon. I'm (still) in the process of buying a 2015 GMC Sierra SLT. The dealership I'm working with has managed to get the wrong truck on a dealer trade, order a new truck from the factory, modify both trucks to my liking, and still get it all wrong when I go in to sign the papers. I'm currently driving truck number 2 until they get the right truck figured out. Good news is, every time they mess up, the price drops and the add-ons get comp'd. After driving the wrong trucks for 3 months, and seeing some of your guys' wheel/tire setups, I'm thinking about demanding some factory 22's. I'm getting a 2 inch ready lift leveling kit no matter what. Just looking for some opinions on whether to stick with the 20's and get bigger than the factory Wrangler SR-A's, or go with 22's. Somehow, I feel the need to fill up the huge wheel wells. I don't do much off-roading, I tow, but rather infrequently. And I generally like the look of more wheel than tire. Can I fit enough tread on 22's to keep a decent ride, and have traction in the Wisconsin winters? How much more, generally, does it cost to put new tires on the bigger wheels? I've heard whispers that since 22's are being offered by dealerships, they're not quite as ridiculously expensive to put tires on. Thanks, in advance.

Atlas · June 12, 2015

I'm not sure I understand the question. Or, if I do, the answer seems obvious to me. You like lower-profile tires and larger wheels, and that appears to be the cheapest of the two choices, because the setup would be presumably paid for by the dealer.

With a larger wheel and lower profile tire, the ride will suffer slightly and tire prices are still more expensive in general, but not as expensive as they used to be. Traction for midwest winters is really more dependent on the tread pattern than it is aspect ratios. If the tire supplied with the 22" wheel isn't all-season, it's probably going to really suck on anything slick. Gas mileage suffers with larger (circumference) wheel/tire combos.

You might want to hop on tirerack.com and compare tire options.

If you go with a larger tire in either case, you'll need a programmer to adjust the speedo and shift points.

robvas · June 12, 2015

Not a whole lot of all-terrain 22" tires out there and they are going to be expensive.

I'd go with a 33" or 34" tire with a 2" leveling kit, 275/60-20 or 275/65-20

ember1205 · June 13, 2015

While I'm all for getting comped when the seller messes something up, I would have walked away from these clowns a long time ago. One mistake is just that - a mistake. Two is a horrible conincidence. Once you hit three, you're dealing with complete idiots. And, I won't deal with complete idiots.